Canada has a shoddy reputation at the annual climate change summits, according to John Streicker, the newly-elected president of the federal Green Party.

Streicker will travel to Durban, South Africa, next week with Green Party Leader and MP Elizabeth May to attend this year's United Nations (UN) Climate Change Summit.

He talked to the Star Thursday about his expectations and what role Canada plays in reducing global carbon emissions.

"Canadian governments have not been trying to negotiate in good faith— we're actually disrupting the negotiations,” Streicker said.

In fact, he continued, we've won what's called the "colossal fossil award” for four years in a row.

The award is voted on by more than 500 international organizations, and given to the country which has done the most to disrupt or undermine climate negotiations.

"We don't want to invest in this,” he said, speaking of the global emission targets.

"We're a fossil fuel-producing country.”

But it's not as simple as just that, he explained.

It is incredibly difficult for any country to change energy economies.

Participating countries in this year's conference hope to figure out what to do after the Kyoto Protocol's period ends in 2012.

Canada signed the protocol in 2002 with a goal of reducing carbon emissions by six per cent below 1990 levels in a five-year period between 2008 and 2012.

As of 2008, Canada's emissions had risen 24 per cent above 1990 levels.

That means we're 30 per cent over our Kyoto target, he said.

"We didn't put a plan in place.”

Since then, he continued, we've switched our baseline year and target emissions twice in order to reach the country's goal.

But the results are simple to read, said Streicker.

"We won't have met our Kyoto targets by 2012.”

All we've been doing, Streicker continued, is shifting our baseline and shifting our targets, and we still don't have a plan in place.

So what to do?

Streicker quoted Fatih Birol, the chief economist from the International Energy Agency which just released its annual World Energy Outlook.

"There is a need for an international legally binding agreement to put a price on carbon,” Birol says.

Streicker agrees – wholeheartedly.

"It could be cap and trade or it could be a carbon tax,” he said. "My response is any one of them. When you invest in energy, you're acknowledging that energy is emitting greenhouse gases and it's got to cost more.”

Streicker doesn't know if the UN's annual climate summits are the best way to reduce global emissions.

He said if Canada doesn't like this process – as our country has shown in the past — we've got to start talking about what we do want.

It all comes back to shifting the energy economy, Streicker said.

"We have let it be known really far in advance that here are the rules, here are the incentives and this is how we're going to get there.”

In other words: a plan.

The climate summit in South Africa will run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9.

May, who Streicker believes to be the MP most versed in climate change, will not be able to get into the main negotiation room as she is an opposition member.

That, he said, is quite a shame.

The new party president won't be able to contribute to these negotiations either, but knows what his roles will be amongst a sea of around 12,000 scientists, politicians, bureaucrats and activists.

"Even though it's tough to do, I'm going to acknowledge that I am Canadian. Despite the performance of the government, I want to show that we do care about the issue and we are working on it.”

Streicker wants to act as a liaison between what's happening behind the scenes and the Canadian public — especially those who might not know much about these summits. He also wants to put a "concentrated effort” into holding the Canadian team accountable.

In the end, though Streicker's goal is simple.

"I want to help the Canadian government do the right thing.”